Violent waves caused by Storm Eunice hit Hastings Old Town. Pic: Shane Stanbridge.Violent waves caused by Storm Eunice hit Hastings Old Town. Pic: Shane Stanbridge.
Violent waves caused by Storm Eunice hit Hastings Old Town. Pic: Shane Stanbridge.

How Storm Eunice brought chaos and destruction to the Hastings and Rother areas

Dozens of trees were uprooted, a famous seafront bandstand was ripped apart and thousands of homes were left without power and water as violent winds from Storm Eunice battered the Hastings, Bexhill, Battle and Rye areas.

The public transport network ground to a halt as record-breaking winds lashed the south coast last Friday morning (February 18) after a rare red weather warning was issued in East and West Sussex, with the “danger to life” alert upgraded to its highest level.

Shops in Hastings town centre were forced to shut as the power went out at around 10am. As the howling gales strengthened, police closed off an area of the town centre, at the junction of Havelock Road and Cornwallis Terrace, after scaffolding boards fell from Queensbury House on the pavement below.

Flood warnings were issued for Hastings, St Leonards, and between Fairlight and Dungeness. Emergency services warned people to stay away from the sea. As high tide approached, massive waves hit the coast. One picture showed a car swamped by a wave that crashed over the sea wall in Hastings Old Town.

The storm - the worst the country had seen in years - ripped apart the famous De La Warr Pavilion Bandstand six miles away in Bexhill. The iconic piece of architecture - installed 20 years ago and a popular attraction for visitors and tourists to the town - soon lay in pieces on the seafront as the fury of Storm Eunice did its worst.

Trains and buses were cancelled, and dozens of trees were uprooted, causing traffic chaos. Some trees fell on houses, some blocked roads. Drivers helped remove a tree that was blocking the A21 in Sedlescombe, near Hastings, after one resident went back home to get a chainsaw to cut it up. Westfield FC, near Hastings, asked for public help to rebuild parts of the ground after both dugouts were dismantled, and the changing rooms were damaged by fallen trees.

The Government held an emergency Cobra meeting to discuss the response to the storm as a record wind gust for England of 122mph was recorded at the Old Battery, perched on top of a weather-blasted cliff on the Isle of Wight - stronger than the 115mph gale that battered Shoreham, West Sussex, in the 1987 storm. Areas in Hastings and Rother were more sheltered, but Friday’s winds still topped 80mph in places, and continued to blow hard over the weekend, with yellow wind warnings still in place in Hastings and Rother on Monday (February 21).

There were intermittent power cuts in the Hastings area, but Bexhill and Battle and their surrounding villages were much harder hit. Some power cuts in the area lasted days, bringing water shortages. Thousands of residents in Bexhill, Hooe, Ninfield, Netherfield, Battle, Staplecross, Ewhurst Green, Horns Cross, Beckley, Peasmarsh, Rye Foreign, Playden and Iden were still without water five days after the storm brought down power lines.

South East Water apologised to customers and said the lack of water was caused by a lack of electricity to water pumps. They said its water technicians were “working strenuously” to get the water supply returned and set up two bottled water stations - one at Mount View car park in Battle, and another at Bexhill Sea Angling Club on Bexhill seafront.

However, some residents voiced their anger on social media - and said South East Water was not doing enough to help those affected. Chris Makin said: “What are you plans re getting water to Beckley? You can’t seriously be expecting villagers to drive to Bexhill (15 miles each way) to collect water? What about those without transport?” Another tweeter, Ria, said: “My daughter and I are isolating, none of my family drive. Is there any way I can get water?”

Pictures showed people queuing for bottled water outside Bexhill Sea Angling Club. Bexhill resident Al Manoukian said the queue on Monday night (February 21) “was about a mile long”. He added: “Well, when you’ve got eight pets at home and you’ve got a pretty big family, it’s been pretty horrendous. But you know you have to take these things on the chin. You have to adapt. And of course when all the local suppliers are out of water, it’s a bit of a crisis situation...but it could be a lot worse. At least we’ve got electricity, we’ve got South East Water doing the best they can, so I’m glad we can come down here and pick up some water. I missed out last night because the queue was about a mile long. But I’m here now, first in line.”

Storm Eunice did not have the fury of The Great Storm in October 1987, but it is likely to be remembered in Sussex for many years to come.

For the latest breaking news where you live in Sussex, follow us on Twitter @Sussex_World and like us on Facebook @SussexWorldUK